Use Color To Convey Meaning in Graphic Design Effectively communicating your graphic design concepts to customers can be difficult at times. Language seems inadequate to the task. Until you learn to speak the near universal language of color. Color triggers an emotional response in people. Thus, there is no better way to explain why your graphic design is appropriate to the customer’s project than through the emotional associations of your chosen colors. Most colors have both negative and positive meanings. It’s how they are used in your graphic design that will elicit a particular response. For instance black can be perceived as either sinister or sophisticated depending on it’s use. Simply describe the associations your graphic design is meant to evoke. Culture must be taken into consideration, for instance in the U.S. white is for weddings, in some Eastern cultures, white is the color for mourning and funerals. Be sure to research the cultural significance of the colors in your design for your chosen audience. These are the traditional color meanings for the western hemisphere: WHITE Hope, faith, peace, angelic, awareness, enlightenment, innocence, purity, perfection, confidence, dignity, cleanliness. White symbolizes freshness and new beginnings. White is often associated with hospitals, especially doctors, nurses, and dentists. Some cultures viewed white as the color of royalty or of dieties. Angels are typically depicted as wearing white. White is a good choice when trying to signify innocence, purity or cleanliness. BLACK Power, negativity, fear, anxiety, sinister, malice, death, mystery, the unconscious, absence, blankness, sophistication, hatred, resentment, guilt, depression. In most Western countries black is the color of mourning. Among young people, black is often seen as a color of rebellion. Black can be either positive or negative but always mysterious. In the first Western movies, the good guys wore white and the bad guy wore black. But in later works, the good guys wore black to portray that air of mystery, as in Men in Black or the James Bond films. This shows how color meanings can change over time. RED Joy, fun, energy, power, courage, sacrifice love, sexuality, passion, lust, revolt, aggression, anger, danger, warning, negative balance. Red has deep emotional and spiritual connotations. Red is power, hence the red power tie for business people and the red carpet for celebrities and VIPs (very important people). Flashing red lights denote danger or emergency. Stop signs and stop lights are red to get the drivers' attention and alert them to the dangers of the intersection. Red evokes strong, often conflicting emotion, from red hot love, ala Cubid, to burning hate, ala the Devil. ORANGE Energy, vigor, drive, ambition, adventure, determination, creative intellect, warmth, friendliness, sociability, courtesy, liveliness, gentleness, expansive nature. Orange brings up images of autumn leaves, pumpkins, and (in combination with Black) Halloween. It represents the changing seasons so in that sense it is a color on the edge, the color of change between the heat of summer and the cool of winter. Because orange is also a citrus color, it can conjure up thoughts of vitamin C and good health. YELLOW Energy, agility, intellect, harmony, happiness, rationalization, intuition, wisdom, sickness, cowardice, caution. Pale yellow symbolizes an enlightened intellect. For years yellow ribbons were worn as a sign of hope as women waited from their men to come marching home from war. Today, they are still used to welcome home loved ones. Its use for hazard signs creates an association with caution. Pure yellow can be a difficult color to use in web design as it doesn’t translate well to the monitor. GREEN Adaptability, harmony, freshness, renewal, fertility, vitality, growth, reconciliation, balance, wealth, healing, peace, serenity, jealousy, rivalry, greed, envy, materialism, deceit. It is said that green is the most restful color for the human eye. Green has great healing power. It can soothe pain and is frequently used in hospital environments. Green is the national color of Ireland and is strongly associated with that country. In Celtic myths the Green man was the God of fertility. Of note is the continued symbolism attached to the color in the latter part of this century. Anyone who chooses a green m & m is sending a somewhat similar message. Green also has close associations with Islam and is a sacred color for both Muslims and was a sacred color to the Egyptians, representing the hope and joy of Spring. Coupled with red it's a Christmas color. BLUE Spirituality, religion, heaven, peace, hope, faith, eternity, tranquility, devotion, truth, integrity, nobility, stability, loyalty, trust, openness, optimism, wisdom, art, culture, philosophy, melancholy. Blue conveys importance and confidence without being somber or sinister, hence the blue power suit of the corporate world and the blue uniforms of police officers. Long considered a corporate color, blue, especially darker blue, is associated with intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. PURPLE Spirituality, regal, goodness, fidelity, kindness, compassion, honesty, nobility, luxury, dignity, power, authority, confidence, reliability, responsibility, ability to love. It has been traditionally associated with royalty in many cultures. Purple robes were worn by royalty and people of authority or high rank. The Purple Heart is a U.S. Military decoration given to soldiers wounded in battle. Deep or bright purples suggest riches while lighter purples are more romantic and delicate. BROWN Practical, earthy, stability, organic, worldliness, comfort, conservative, unenlightened, materialistic, scatological. Brown is a warm neutral color that can stimulate the appetite. It is found extensively in nature in both living and non-living materials. Brown represents wholesomeness and earthiness. While it might be considered a little on the dull side, it also represents steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health. Although blue is the typical corporate color, UPS (United Parcel Service) has built their business around the dependability associated with brown. There are many other colors to use in graphic design and all are ripe with symbolic meaning. You can find some wonderful books on utilizing color to convey moods and to influence thought and purchasing habits. So, why not take advantage of the psychology of color in your next graphic design project?